The Flex framework for building Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) got a major boost today with the news that Adobe and BEA Systems have agreed a deal that will see the Adobe Flex Builder 2 software bundled with BEA’s flagship Workshop Studio product.

I’m mightily impressed at the traction that Flex has already gained within the Java community and corporate buy-in from the likes of BEA will further cement its position as a significant player in the future of Java front-end development.

Whether this is enough to steady the exodus to other web development platforms such as Ruby on Rails remains to be seen.